Mauritania

Mauritania

Fisheries partnership agreement

On 10 July 2015, the European Union and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania initialled a new, 4-year Protocol to the Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA). The new protocol confirms several decades of cooperation in the field of fisheries, a key sector for the development of Mauritania and one of the pillars of the European strategy for blue growth.

Under the Protocol, the EU fleet will be allowed to fish in Mauritanian waters for shrimp, demersal fish, tuna and small pelagic fish, up to a total of 281 500 tonnes a year, under improved operational conditions. In addition to catches paid for by the European fleet, the EU will pay a financial contribution of € 59.125 million per year to the partnership, out of which € 4.125 million will be used to support local fishing communities in Mauritania.

In line with the EU's fisheries policy, the protocol contributes to responsible fishing and the sustainable management of fisheries resources, including enhanced transparency measures. It seeks to minimise fishing impacts on marine ecosystems and respects the activities of the Mauritanian coastal and artisanal fleets.

The Protocol was signed and entered into provisional application on 16 November 2015. It will enter into force when the necessary procedures for its conclusion have been completed, including the consent of the European Parliament.

Main features of the FPA

Duration of the agreement

6 years renewable (30.11.2006 - 29.11.2012; 30.11.2012 - 29.11.2018)

Nature of the FPA

Multi-species agreement

Duration of the protocol

4 years (from 16.11.2015 to 15.11.2019)

Financial contribution

€ 59.125 million/year, of which € 4.125/year to support the fisheries sector

Current legal framework

Decision on the signature and provisional application of the Protocol adopted by Council Decision (EU) 2015/2191 of 10.11.2015 (OJ L315 of 1.12.2014). The text of the Protocol was published in the same OJ.

Earlier this morning, EU ministers reached an agreement on fishing opportunities for 2018 in the Atlantic, North Sea and Black Sea following negotiations at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 11 - 12 December.